The North Country offers many opportunities to experience the outdoors, but during hunting season, many feel apprehensive about hitting the trails.

If you are like me and can't ignore the call of your inner nature lover, visit the New Land Trust, a place where nature encompasses and hunting is not allowed.

The Land Trust's 287 acres are crisscrossed with 25 trails that offer approximately 10 miles of easy hiking, and camping is not only allowed, it is encouraged. Along the Luke's Lean-to Trail there is a huge first come, first served lean-to that is fully stocked with firewood, a hatchet and a bottle opener.

Located on Plumadore Road in Saranac, the New Land Trust is a nonprofit organization that relies on memberships and donations to cover expenses like taxes, insurance and maintenance, allowing it to remain free and open to the public year-round.

Founded in the 1970s, the Land Trust opened its trails to the masses for the first time last year. Since then, it has had over 2,000 visitors.

"It was not uncommon for us to have 150 visitors in a single weekend last winter," said Steve Jenks, the groundskeeper responsible for trail maintenance.

Jenks is enthusiastic about the trust's rising popularity.

"It's exciting to come down the trail and see families or a couple or someone skiing hard. I hope they keep coming back."

To complement his enthusiasm, Jenks has been hard at work designing new trails and clearing debris from existing trails. It is this dedication that makes the property so appealing and user friendly.

The paths, whose names include Growler, Guadaloupe, What Ales Ya and Herb Trail, are suitable for outdoor enthusiasts of all ages. Most of the trails are 6 feet wide, making them easy to follow and perfect for skiing and snowshoeing. The topography here is gentle, too, with only a handful of small hills to contend with.

Jenks admits that creating the trails is only half the fun; the other half is naming them, and each one has a story behind it.

Sugar House, for example, takes hikers through a beautiful sugar maple stand that used to be home to the trail's namesake. The foundation of the building can still be seen just off the path. Guadaloupe is a play on words, alluding to the fact that the trail is one big loop, and Meadow is what the name implies — a pleasant walk through an open meadow.

Perhaps one of the most pleasant destinations on the property is Top Dead Center. Located at the junction of the Solstice, Growler and Blueberry trails, it is a little clearing with two benches that offers a fine view of Lyon Mountain, especially when the leaves are off the trees.

Although the land offers much in the way of recreation, it is not all play. Maintaining the trails that snake through the property is a full-time job, and much of the work is done by Jenks, with the help of volunteers. Recently, two Boy Scout troops helped renovate some of the trails, and the ADK is coming to lend a hand in the near future.

Jenks realizes the large number of trails on the Land Trust might seem intimidating to the first-time visitor, so he offers some friendly advice.

"Pick up a map at the trail register, dress warm and bring a compass. Saranac and Solstice are the main arteries. Start with them and branch out from there."

The New Land Trust is not anti-hunting, and although the property is not posted, hunting is forbidden on the premises. Still, Jenks offers a word of caution and recommends that people visiting during hunting season wear bright orange in case a hunter wanders onto the property.

The New Land Trust is worth a visit for anyone who enjoys being outside. One can come for an afternoon, or spend an entire day exploring its meadows and forests.

Shaun Kittle is an editor for All Points North, the Plattsburgh State online magazine.